Where to spa/salon

Ron King Salon — A hit during SXSW for its $35 blowout/braid bar (complete with cocktail!), this is a must-visit salon year-round. Ron King is an internationally known celebrity hair stylist (he INVENTED the invisi-tab hair extensions), but his salon has an intimate neighborhood feel that doesn't get in the way of a powerhouse blowout that will survive anything SXSW throws at you.

milk +honey — Austin's premier day spa, with a flagship location right in downtown. The aesthetic is clean, modern and they aim to incorporate as many all-natural and organic elements as possible.

Getting around

Public transportation will be easier than ever at this year's SXSW thanks to the new CapMetro App powered by Bytemark. The free app, which launched in January, enables Austin public transportation riders to buy passes, plan trips and even use their smartphone as their transit ticket — making it much easier for out-of-town visitors to navigate Austin's transit system. Available for Apple iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices, this is Austin's first and only citywide mobile ticketing app.

Catch a Chevy! This is almost too good to believe, but if you are in town during SXSW, you can tweet at #ChevySXSW and they'll pick you up anywhere in the Downtown Austin area and take you wherever you need to be for free. With Uber using surge pricing and taxies really hard to come by, this will be your conference godsend.